Anyone can eat

Anyone looking for information on nutrition these days usually starts with just a few clicks. A quick glance at a smartphone is all it takes, and countless answers are immediately at your fingertips. Which foods are considered healthy? Which ones are best avoided? Which diets are scientifically proven, and which are currently particularly trendy? This information is available at any time. It’s available in vast quantities, can be consumed quickly and is often presented with great conviction. Social media, in particular, further reinforces this impression. Influencers, health platforms and digital advice sources constantly provide recommendations that often contradict one another. In everyday life, however, this very abundance rarely leads to greater clarity. Many people are familiar with this. You’ve done your research, read up on things, perhaps even tried some of them out, and yet in the end you’re still unsure as to what is actually scientifically sound. The greater the amount of information available, the harder it becomes to make sense of individual claims and apply them to your own daily life. 

Although nutritional knowledge is more readily accessible today than ever before, health data paint a different picture. Diet-related conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases continue to rise. This raises a fundamental question: if the knowledge is available, why do we often fail to put it into practice in our daily lives? In nutritional research, this tension is increasingly being examined systematically. In doing so, the focus is shifting to a concept that seeks to describe precisely this gap: nutritional competence. Nutritional competence, often referred to internationally as ‘food literacy’, describes the ability to understand information about nutrition, evaluate it critically and integrate it into everyday life. This includes knowledge about food as well as practical skills relating to shopping, cooking, meal planning and much more.

What is crucial here is not a single component, but the interplay of knowledge, experience and practical application in everyday life. Nutrition is thus understood as part of a holistic approach to health. Research is being conducted at the Medical University of Graz to investigate how this competence develops and which factors influence it.

The development of eating habits begins early

The foundations for future eating habits are laid as early as childhood. Taste preferences and aversions develop early on within an individual’s ‘taste archive’ and can shape eating behaviour for many years to come. Early experiences with different foods play a central role in this. Children who regularly try new foods, are involved in shopping or cook alongside adults often develop a broader – and subsequently more established – dietary range. The structure of meals is also important. Regularity and shared mealtimes have a significant influence on feelings of hunger and satiety and help to develop a nuanced awareness of one’s own body. Nutritional literacy thus arises not only from knowledge, but also from a regular daily routine.

Between scientific evidence and dietary trends

Today, nutrition is also heavily influenced by digital media. Social media, online platforms and advice sites ensure that nutrition topics are omnipresent. This certainly has its advantages, as information is easily accessible. At the same time, however, it creates challenges. Content is often presented in a simplified, highly exaggerated or very one-sided manner. Individual foods are rated, entire dietary patterns are pitted against one another, or dietary supplements are presented as simple solutions. However, the scientific evidence paints a different picture. The health effects of diet stem from an individual’s dietary patterns. Consequently, nutritional recommendations are also evolving. Instead of focusing on individual nutrients, the emphasis is increasingly on foods and eating habits. This makes it easier to put into practice in everyday life, as it is less about precise calculations and more about recurring patterns.

“You really are what you eat”

Diet affects numerous aspects of the body. It influences energy balance as well as muscles, bones and the nervous system. The immune system is also closely linked to dietary factors. Furthermore, diet plays a role in the development of chronic diseases. At the same time, it can have a preventative effect and positively influence health outcomes. Nutritional literacy helps us to better understand and incorporate these connections into our daily lives. It enables us to be more aware of our own needs and to structure our diet in a way that promotes long-term health. It is not about perfection. It is about finding guidance in everyday life. In the context of demographic change, this aspect is becoming increasingly important. Diet plays a key role in maintaining health in later life and supporting independence.

Key areas of research at the Medical University of Graz

At the Medical University of Graz, the ‘Translational Nutrition Research’ unit focuses on nutrition as a complex biological and behavioural system. A key focus is on the precise measurement of dietary behaviour. The aim is to develop methods that reflect real-life eating habits as accurately as possible. Other food-related research topics include body composition, particularly fat distribution, as well as the effects of specific nutrients and plant-based compounds on fat cells. The links between diet, the gut microbiome and the immune system are also being investigated. Clinical issues such as food intolerances and eating disorders are equally relevant.

Nutritional literacy in medical education

The importance of nutrition is also reflected in medical education. At the Medical University of Graz, nutritional medicine is firmly integrated into the medical degree programme. Theory and practice are systematically combined. In the ‘NutriMEDucation’ teaching unit, research, teaching and clinical application are closely interlinked. This approach is particularly evident, for example, in the ‘Culinary Medicine’ programme. Here, nutritional medicine content is directly combined with practical food preparation. This allows scientific findings to be experienced first-hand. The practical approach demonstrates that nutrition is often only truly understood once it has been experienced personally.

Nutritional literacy as a lifelong skill

Nutritional literacy develops throughout one’s entire life. It arises from experience and is supplemented by knowledge. In an age of information overload, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to contextualise information. Not all information is of equal value. Not every recommendation is equally scientifically sound. Nutritional literacy helps us to recognise these differences and translate them into concrete decisions in everyday life. It thus becomes a fundamental health literacy that goes far beyond knowledge of individual foods. What matters is not only what we eat, but how we make decisions about our diet. Nutrition has been, and remains, a key factor with enormous potential in personalised medicine for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Five ways to improve your nutritional literacy

1. Pay
attention to the source Not all information on the internet or from other sources is scientifically sound. Guidance can be found, for example, in recommendations from experts at universities and professional bodies. Caution is advised when individual foods are portrayed as ‘miracle cures’ or ‘poisons’.

2. Question
simple solutions Nutrition is complex. Statements such as ‘This diet is suitable for everyone’ or ‘This food will make you healthy’ usually indicate that important interrelationships are being oversimplified.

3. Cook for yourself and get to know
your food. When you do your own shopping, prepare your own ingredients and cook your own meals, you develop a better understanding of what ends up on your plate and often make more informed choices.

4. Listen
to your own body Hunger, satiety and personal preferences are important guides. Nutritional literacy also means being aware of your own needs and not following every trend.

5. Variety rather than restriction
A varied diet comprising a range of different foods is usually more sensible than rigid rules or completely cutting out individual foods.